Beyond Social Media Basics: Instagram, Pinterest & Soundcloud

This post originally appeared on the FanBridge Blog and is part of the Fan Marketing Institute. For weekly lessons like this one sent to your inbox, sign up here.

Facebook and Twitter are the foundations to social strategy. They’re necessary for everyone, regardless of the type of brand or business. But what about the other social networks and services out there? Which are necessary and how can they be utilized best for fan marketing? We’ll cover some of the most popular sites and explain not only who they’re best for but how businesses outside of those target markets can benefit from them.

Instagram is the photo sharing social network where users take pictures with cameras on their phone, apply filters and effects, and share the images with friends. Instagram is exclusively visual content, but since the content is generated from a cell phone camera, you don’t need to be an artist or professional content creator to benefit from having your brand on Instagram. Instagram is good for sharing new products, but is even better when used to build brand identity. Create fun, unique, and interesting content and watch your fan base connect and wait for every update. An engaging Instagram account can get followers based on content alone.

While Instagram is for self-created content, Pinterest is centered on found content from the web. Pinterest’s terms of service actually discourage excessive self-promotion. So, what can you put on Pinterest? The brands doing the best job on Pinterest are sharing a healthy mix of complimentary products, target demographic interests, and some self-promotion. Like Instagram, Pinterest can be used to build brand identity as well. Public Figures and Entertainers have effectively used Pinterest to engage fans and build interest. The key to succeeding on Pinterest is to be genuine. Share actual interests that align with the public personality your brand has.

SoundCloud is a tool for sharing audio content. It’s mostly used by musicians looking to share their own recordings with fans. SoundCloud syncs with many other music apps as well. Fans can comment on recordings and, depending on the artists security settings, embed or even share the tracks on other sites. SoundCloud is being used more frequently now for voice messages and found-sound recordings. Have something interesting to say to fans? Try recording it with SoundCloud. Some businesses have unique “sounds” that fans might be interested in, like the clamor of a restaurant kitchen on a busy night, or the excitement of a crowd heard from field level at an arena. SoundCloud is still best for musicians, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any unique opportunities for other businesses, brands, and entertainers, too.